Patrick McLoughlin, Secretary of State for Transport, left, together with Margaret Carney, cheif executive of Sefton Council, centre, and Councillor John Fairclough, Deputy Leader of Sefton Council and Cabinet Member for Locality Services, right, visited the new Thornton by-pass ahead of it's opening next week to officially name the multi-million route 'Broom's Cross Road', which will provide a faster link from Thornton to Switch Island.
Photo by James Maloney

The long-awaited road, which has cost £20m to build, has been formally named as the A5758 Broom’s Cross Road. Earlier today (Tuesday) the minister travelled along a section of the new link, between Thornton and Switch Island, which is due to open to drivers on August 19.

He said: “For me the project is about getting the kind of infrastructure across the north, and this is an important part of that. It will take traffic away from residential areas.

“It has been constructed to a very high standard, blending in the environment, with a lot of planting. It’s a good scheme. It’s value for money, and the residents who benefit from it will know that.”

The new road is expected to reduce peak hour journey times by up to seven minutes between Thornton and Switch Island, making life easier for thousands of people who commute between Sefton and Liverpool.

Mr McLoughlin added: “This one nation government is determined to close the economic gap between north and south. Investing in transport – something that successive governments have failed to do sufficiently – is vital to making that happen.

“We had a choice, building the infrastructure our country needs, or letting our transport system become a brake on growth and opportunity. We have chosen to invest for the future.

“Across the North, that investment is already having a huge impact, with programmes – like Broom’s Cross Road – to upgrade our railways and our roads. We are determined to keep the momentum going.”

Sefton Central MP Bill Esterson recently said that the project marked a victory for the 25,000 people who commute between Sefton and Liverpool every day.

The newly completed 2.8 mile road is named after Broom’s Cross, the site of a medieval wayside cross near Thornton.